In another life
by pure song
Summary: In a parallel universe where people find peace before they die allowing them to pass directly into heaven. Our heroes find the happiness they never had before...
1. HinataxYui: (i) The field

The phone rang.

My boss was always quick to answer it as he feared he might lose a customer if he picked it up late. "Hello, this is the Kon Café my name is Shun. How may I help you?" he said as he answered the phone. The sudden change in his expression made it clear that it wasn't a customer.

"Hey kid. It's for you." He passed me the phone and I put my ear on the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Oh Hideki!" said the voice from the other end. It was my mother, "Sorry to bother you at work but do you mind picking up some things from the store before coming home?"

As if I had a choice. "Sure." I replied

She quickly dictated me the list and I wrote it down. After giving me her love, I put the phone down.

"Hey boss its 5 o clock-" I started.

"Get out kid!" said my boss in an angry tone.

"Thanks boss, you're the best!" I replied while leaving the café.

It has been a year since my father passed away; because of which my life changed drastically. Before I used to be a crazy kid who wanted to ditch school. But now I studying my butt off every day at school and working part time job to help my mother with the bills. Life wasn't easy. I wasn't happy doing all of this I studied so that I would get admission in a good college, get a good job and earn for my family. Life just felt pointless. I mean I wasn't doing this because I wanted to I was doing it because I had to. I didn't have a choice.

"Strike three. You are out!" shouted the catcher. The disappointed looking batter went towards his team's box. I kept staring at the field across the chain link fence. This fence was the only thing that used to stop me from wanting to run over and play baseball. I wasn't a professional or anything but damn I loved baseball. I remember playing it with my dad every Sunday. It was the only thing that made me happy. But after my dad died I had no one to play with anymore. All my friends in school were into soccer or swimming and with my part time job I couldn't join my school's team. Despite that, I would every day pass by the base ball field of some school that would be practicing. I would stand there for a while, and watch them play before heading home.

Baseball was the only thing that reminded me of the good things in life. But after my dad's death I was sure that my life had lost the only joy it had. I was dead sure that I would never find happiness again.

But I was wrong.

…

I had been passing by the baseball field every day for a week now, but I hadn't seen anybody lately. I presumed that the kids must have gone for some national championship. Though it was upsetting to see an empty field, I kept thinking how lucky they were to be in some competition. The very thought gave me goose bumps.

"Clank!" I heard a sound. The field was certainly empty but I could clearly hear the sound of a batter hitting a ball. I kept walking beside the fence when I suddenly noticed someone standing on the batter's box. It was young girl with pink hair who was trying to hit every ball which the pitching machine kept throwing at her but she couldn't even make a shot. I tried to resist my laugh but I ended up laughing loudly. The girl turned her attention towards me; she gave me a long death stare but I kept laughing.

"GET LOST!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Instead of replying I kept laughing louder and louder.

"GET LOST!" she screamed again.

"Make me." I replied. I must have hit a nerve of her because she suddenly came rushing towards me and begin climbing the chain linked fence which separated us both. In a matter of seconds she had reached the top. I realized in that instant that she might kill me if she came down. I quickly began running, only turning occasionally to see whether she was following or not. Luckily she didn't and I made it home alive.

I had a hard time sleeping at night as the memory of the angry look on her face kept me entertained. I knew not why or how but I wanted to find out who that girl was.

I just had to.

…

"Okay Yui. You can do this only you need is one home run and then you can go home." The girl breathed to herself.

"Like self talking helps." I shouted across the fence. The girl turned towards me and her face became flustered with anger.

"What the hell is your problem? Why are you trying to annoy me?" she shouted loudly.

"Well, I'm no pro but looks like you could use some help." I pointed the obvious to her.

"Like you could play any better."

"I could brag for hours about how well I play or I could show you?"

She pointed the bat towards me. "Show me."

"How am I-"

"Climb the fence, sissy." At that moment I felt an admiration that I had never felt for anyone other than my parents. I would have never had the guts to climb over a fence. But this girl was fearless. I truly did feel like a sissy.

…..

"and it's a home run." I announced as the ball went over the fence and into the trees. The girl stared in shock. She turned annoyingly towards me.

"okay your better than me. Now get lost." She started

"seriously?" I questioned.

"NOW!" she shouted again.

"Listen kid. Now I admit I am a sissy who wouldn't climb a fence. But you are bad at baseball and I can help." I advised her.

"Yesterday you were laughing at me and today you want to teach me how to hit a home run. If you expect me to believe you want to help me then you must be a moron."

"You are right. I really have no interest in helping you. I just want to pay baseball and helping you is the only way I can." I replied truthfully. I think she was taken aback by answer for that sparkle in her made it clear that she admired my honesty.

"Meet me here at 5:15 sharp and don't be late." And she began walking away from me.

"Wait a minute! My name is Hideki. What is yours?

"Like I tell a stranger my name." she replied.

I couldn't help but smiling, I had never met someone like her.


	2. HinataxYui: (ii) The friend

It took me a month; a month to teach that weird girl how to hit a home run, a month to learn her name (which by the way was Yui), and a month to become her friend.

Every day after work I would go to the baseball field and meet Yui there. She and I would only play for a while and spend the rest of the time talking about our lives; about our daily routines, our friends, about the past, the present and sometimes even the future. It was nice to talking to someone who didn't once try to sympathize me without actually knowing how I felt. In fact she was the only person who knew how I felt. She had lost her father as well at a very young age and recovered from his loss. She advised me that I should stop being a sissy and accept his death or else I would never be able to happy again. She was right.

A couple of weeks later we were playing at the field when I noticed that Yui was distracted. She wasn't even trying to hit the ball. After a while I got annoyed and asked her, "YUI! What's going on?"

Yui finally woke up from her thoughts, "What?"

"Something is on your mind. What is it tell me?" I asked. She hesitated at first but finally started.

"Well, I can't believe I will be going to high school in fall. I mean few months ago I was some crazy middle school kid, now few months from now I'll be a high school student."

I was vexed; I mean could she have been so naïve? "Chill out kid! High school isn't any different." I replied.

"Maybe so but it's still intimidating. I mean I wouldn't know anyone there."

"You'll know me."

"What?"

"You're obviously going to Kontoha High right?" She nodded her head, "I'll be your senior there. I could show you around. Teach you all the codes. In fact, I could help you with your studies if you want."

After a while, Yui replied "Thanks Hideki. That'll be awesome!"

…

I didn't see Yui much throughout the summer. In fact I spent much of my time studying and working extra shifts at the Kon Café. Summer felt like the perfect opportunity to take Yui's advice to spend time with my mother. I would often take my mother out for dinner or go to cinema to watch some movie with her. After my dad died last year, I kind of isolated myself from my mum. It wasn't her fault, she just wanted to help me get over my dad's death and I wasn't ready to let him go. So I just avoided her on the whole, it was easier for me that way.

"Hideki! It's 2 o' clock. Don't you have to go to work?" my mother shouted. I quickly grabbed my coat and ran down the stairs.

"Thanks mom. Love you. Bye." I shouted while leaving the house.

"Love you too. Don't forget to eat and don't tire yourself." My mother replied.

As I was walking down the street I began thinking about how I had to work in the summer while other kids played around, then I remembered something that Yui had said to me.

"_People don't make choices which benefit other people; they always make choices which benefit them. However your life is today it's because you chose it to be this way. No person or event has any control on your decisions." _

She felt that instead of cursing my fate I should reflect on why I was doing the things that I was doing. According to her I chose to live my life like this. On any given day I would have disagreed but now that I thought about it, the only reason I got serious about studies, took a part time job and isolated myself from people was to avoid getting sympathized as 'the boy who lost his dad'. People used to treat me like I was some kind of a victim. It made me feel more and more angry. I felt as if no one understood me. It made me miss my dad more and more. People didn't understand that didn't want their sympathy. Nobody seemed understand that; nobody except Yui.

She may have been a kid but damn she understood life better than me. For the first time in my life, I decided to accept my fate. That I Hideki Hinata, would stop cursing fate for the things that happened in my life because all in all I chose to let them happen. I realized that life was always supposed to be hard and people aren't always going to see things the way you do. Blaming others when things got tough wasn't going to make it any easier. It was time for me to grow up.

…..

Fall finally came and my final year in high school began.

I had been looking forward getting back to school ever since summer began. Because I knew this year I would have Yui in my school.

I had just walked a couple of steps away from my street when I heard someone shout my name. I turned around and saw a girl in my school's uniform. I felt a bit bewildered but I didn't want to seem impolite so I asked, "Yes?"

"Hope you didn't forget your promise Moron?" replied the girl with a smile.

It took me a second but I finally realized who I was talking to.

"YUI?" I shouted. She would usually tie pigtails. But today she let her hair open. Her hair done and open somehow managed to complement with her looks. She looked different. She looked pretty.

"Yes?" she said.

"You look different." I replied

"Good or bad?"

"Pretty." I replied. Yui tried to suppress her smile, but failed.

"ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO SCHOOL OR NOT?" She screamed. It became obvious that she didn't want to show me how happy felt hearing me compliment her. What I failed to understand was why.

…

Only a few months had passed by and life was awesome. After sitting alone during breaks and avoiding my friends for so long, it was nice to have some company. What I didn't comprehend was how she could easily convince me to do things. She convinced me to stop isolating myself, to start hanging out with my friends, to open myself a bit, and to be friendlier. In months I knew almost every single person of my batch whom, if I had been on my own, I would never even know if they had existed.

I wanted to tell her how much I appreciated having her around. I wanted her to know how happy I have felt ever since the day I met her. I wanted to tell her that if I hadn't met her I would have been lost forever. I wanted to tell her so much but the words that I wanted to say wouldn't come out of my mouth. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't express myself to her.

…..

Days, Weeks, Months, and before we all knew it I was going to graduate next week.

I was both psyched and upset. Though I had been given admission in one of the best business colleges of Japan, I wouldn't be able to spend time with Yui anymore. I was afraid that if I became too busy in my studies I would lose her. So I decide to make a promise to myself to visit her every week and text her every day. It was a long shot but I was determined.

Yui demanded a treat from me, she was mad at me for not even telling her that I had gotten the admission. I told her that I wasn't planning on starting college without telling her. Anyways I decided to treat her at Kon café. After she nearly left me bankrupt we decided to head back home. There wasn't much traffic so I decided to walk across the road. Yui kept telling me that was a bad idea and we should wait for the light to turn red but I dismissed her fear. I began crossing the road. I had almost made it across the road when suddenly out of nowhere a black car came in my direction in full speed. I felt struck with fear and I froze. I just couldn't force myself to move. All I could do at that moment was stare at the car that was coming in my direction.

At that moment, I knew, I had lost everything.


End file.
